What is Alpha for ESOL?

ESOL is "English for Speakers of Other Languages" and refers to learning English if your first language is not English. Alpha for ESOL is a simplified Alpha course tailored to people who are new to English and Christianity.

The more current term is "English language learners" (ELL) or "English learners" (EL) but the Alpha material is slightly older and still refers to "ESOL."

How does it work?

Alpha for ESOL doesn't use video talks, rather the speaker uses scripts to present the talks live. We provide speaker's notes, guest handouts and group activities for each week. Increased visuals, demonstrations, examples and analogies are used to illustrate main points so guests can better grasp the Christian concepts.

- Intro to Using Speaker's Notes
- Sample: Week 1 - Is there more to life than this? (speaker's notes)

How long is an Alpha for ESOL?

Alpha for ESOL is usually offered over 10 to 20 weeks (depends on how much material you want to cover each session).

Who is this for?

Alpha for ESOL is for people who have a basic to low-intermediate level of speaking English. If guests are beginners in English, it's best to have an interpreter present or to run an Alpha with videos in their native language.

To assess your Alpha guests' English language ability, please visit The Canadian Language Benchmarks website. Their pdfs describe 12 levels of ability in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. If guests can read English, you might decide to show the Alpha Film Series in English and use subtitles OR if not, use the videos with audio in their mother tongue, if available. (more info here)

How do I get access to the materials?

To access the ESOL material, you can register a new Alpha and choose LIVE talks instead of videos, and then choose "ESOL" as your context. It looks like this:

After you create your Alpha, please click on the "Series Materials" tab to download the Speaker's Notes, Guest handouts, and notes for group activities.

Alpha scripts vs ESOL

Alpha for ESOL is different from Alpha "scripts." Alpha for ESOL is for people who are learning English (simple outline, vocabulary words, group games, NO videos).

Alpha "scripts" are for speakers to present a customized live talk. The template includes colour-coded sections to indicate which sections can be personalized with the speaker's stories. The script is based on the classic Alpha with Nicky video. It is not a word-for-word transcription of the current Alpha video. Click here for a sample.

If you are looking for "notes" to accompany the Alpha Film Series, please refer to the Alpha Guest Guide or Questions of Life files in MyAlpha (Series Materials section).